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Monday, January 09, 2006

Cookies to fill up our packs...

Since living in Arizona, we have been going hiking in the mountains as often as we can. This time of the year is the best time to do this, because during the day it is not 120 degrees outside. I've been looking for a tasty, but sturdy cookie that I could make to take along for some energy during the hikes. Today's cookie is the one!

Crunchy Peanut Butter and Granola Cookies are thick, sturdy and crunchy cookies loaded with granola, dried fruit and peanut butter flavor. For extra crunch, I did use chunky peanut butter, but it would work just as well with smooth, as chopped peanuts are also added in later. For the granola, I used our new favorite Apple-Cinnamon version that I have been making for the last couple months, but feel free to use store bought. If your granola does not already have dried fruit, add in about 1/2 cup of your favorite kind if desired. I got about 34 cookies and I made them just about the right size to easily pack for hiking.

Tonight's Dinner,Tomato Goat Cheese Strata, is more of a cross between a savory bread pudding and a strata. This dish is pretty quick to throw together, and since the bread does not need to sit and soak overnight, it would be good for a last minute meal. The sourdough bread soaks up so much flavor from the tomatoes and the layers meld into a densely textured pie as the eggs firm up. Goat cheese brings an earthy and creamy addition to the top layer.

Joe that strata looks AMAZING! And I have all the ingredients already except for sourdough bread. A trip to Fresh Market is in order and this will be on our dinner table Thursday! I'm thinking some fresh basil would be good too? Thanks!